Cleaner for wind-shields.



v S. LUX.

CLEANER FOR WIND SHIELDS.' APPLICATI N FILED Mov I8. 1915.-

. mama Pzt'emted 0st. 31, 1916 UNITED PATENT OFFICE.

SAUL LUX, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 CHARLES BEINHARDT, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CLEANER FOR WIN D-SHIELDS.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31., 1916.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAUL LUx, a citizen of the United States, residing at the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cleaners for \Vind-Shields, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for cleaning or brushing rain, snow, etc., from the front of the glass in a wind-shield for automobiles, etc., in front of the drivers position. When operating a car in a rain or snow storm with the wind-shield in position, the latter often becomes so much befogged as to render operation exceedingly dangerous.

My invention provides a device which is attached to the frame of a wind-shield, or body of a closed car, the device having a cleaner arm adapted to sweep over the outer surface of the glass, and an operating handle which extends to the rear of the windshield into position to be readily operated by the driver. The handle and cleaner arm are suitably connected, preferably by a pinion and sector within a casing, from which the cleaner arm and handle extend, so that a partial rotation of the handleforward and back serves to cause the cleaner arm to sweep over the glass of the windshield through a substantial arc and to return to its original position. A spring within the casing normally holds the cleaner arm in a non-obscuring position, such as a position parallel to and adjacent the upper edge of the glass. Mechanism is provided whereby the cleaner arm sweeps over the glass in contact therewith during the forward movement and then returns to its initial position out of contact with the glass. With this provision, the moisture, mud, etc. swept from the glass by the cleaner arm during the forward movement is largely shaken off from the cleaning surface during the rapid return movement of the arm out of contact with the glass.

The object of my invention accordingly is to provide an efficient, simple and cheaply manufactured device of the character indicated, other objects of my invention residing in details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth. 1

In order that a clearer understanding of to Fig. 2 of the interior of the casing with the parts in a different position, Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the device applied to a wind-shield and Fig. 6 is a view partly in section and partly in perspective, showing the attachment of the device to a closed car.

Referring to the drawings, the frame 1 of the attachment comprises a cylindrical box or casing 2, having a front cover 3 screwed thereto. The handle member 4 is secured to a short shaft 5, which extends from the rear side 6 0f the casing and is rotatably mounted in the cover 3, and the rear side a 6 of the casing. The bearings for stubshaft 5 are suitably provided by forming a shallow cylindrical recess in the inner face of cover 3, within which the end of shaft 5 rests, shaft 5 extending through and being rotatably mounted in a suitable cylindrical opening through the rear side 6 of the casing. The connection between handle memher 4 and shaft 5 is preferably made by providing shaft 5 with a short pin 7 Handle 4 is tubular at its inner end and is provided adjacent its end with a longitudinal slot through which pin 7 may extend when the handle is slipped over the end of shaft 5, as is illustrated in Fig. 3.

The casing may be secured to a windshield or body of a car in any suitable manner, so that the cleaning arm may sweep over the outer surface of the glass. In Figs. 1,

3 and 5, the device is shown applied to a wind-shield for an open car. As there illustrated, a bracket 8 extends forwardly from the front cover 3 of the casing, and a vertical arm 9 extends through the bracket, being secured in desired position by a thumb-screw 10. A horizontal member 11 is slidably mounted in an opening at the upper end of vertical member 9 and may be secured in adjusted-position by a clamping screw 12. Member 11 carries a semi rail 14 of the wind-shield, the wind-shield carrying the upper pane 15 of glass.

The cleaning arm comprises a bent rod hating an end portion 16 journaled in casing 1 and extending rearwardly from the casing, and a ortion 16 extending at right angles to the 1ournaled portion of the rod, to the rear of the rear side 6 of the casing. Cleaner arm 16 has a cleaning surface 17 secured thereto. This is preferably a strip of rubber which may be suitably clamped to or secured about arm 16 to present its edge or preferably, its two edges in alinement, to the surface of the pane 15, preferably at a rearwardly inclined angle, during the clean An opening 18 is provided in cover 3, inv

ing operation.

The journaled portion 16 of the cleaning arm is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings in the front cover 3 and the rear side member 6 of the casing in such a manner as to permit a shifting of the cleaner arm axially of the journaled portion 16 of the arm.

which the end of arm 16 is rotatably' mounted, arm 16 being free to movelengtliwise in opening 18 .and the corresponding alined opening in the rear member 6 of the cas-' ing through which arm 16 extends. A pinion 19 is secured to arm 16, this pinion being adapted to mesh with a sector 20, which is secured to the stub-shaft 5, so that oscillation of handle 4 backward and forward swings the cleaning arm 16 in the reverse direction. The cleaning arm moves from the full line position, shown adjacent the upper edge of pane 15 in Fig. 1,'to the dotted line position, when handle 4 moves from the full line to the dotted line position, the cleaning arm being returned from the dotted line to the full line position when the handle is returned from the dotted line to the full line position.- The device is shown in position to clean the glass in front of the driver for a car having a left hand, drive.

Obviously, the connections could be reversed and the device placed nearer the right hand side of the wind-shield for a car hav-'- ing a right hand drive. The cleaner arm 16 should be long enough to clean a substantial area of the glass in front of the driver; in many windshields a rib extends trans versely across the glass at some distance below the top rail 14. of the wind-shield and the cleaner arm should not be long enough to hit this rib in its movement.

The means for causing the cleaner arm to move away from the glass at the end of its forward stroke and return out of contact withthe glass in my preferred device will now be described. A pin 21 extends trans-r U versely from the hub of pinion 19 and is provided with a roller 22. A spring 23,

from the inner side of the rear member 6 '70 of the casing, a spacing sleeve 25 on post 24;

positioning the secured end of spring 23 at a distance above or forward of the supporting member 6, somewhat greater than the diameter of roller 22. The other end of spring 23 is supported by a cam 26, which extends forwardly from base plate 6 of the casing. A spiral spring .27 is positioned about the forwardly extendin portion 16 of the cleaner arm, one end 0 this spring being seated around the hub of pinion 19 and the other end of the spring being seated in a recess 28 in the front cover 3 of the casing.

The device is shown in Fig. 4 in its normal position, that is, in position to start the cleaning stroke of arm 16'. As is there shown, roller 22 is in position to move heneath the secured end of spring 23, the post 24 being somewhat offset from the curved portion of the spring. The hub of pinion 19 is in contact with base plate 6 of the casing because of the pressure of spring 27.

Upon operation of handle 4 from the full line to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1, sector 20 moves pinion 19 in a clockwise direction, referring to Figs. 2 and 4-, through an arc of approximately 180. Roller 22 the cam is reached by the roller, the free end of the spring is passed and snaps back into position behind the roller. The parts have now reached the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3,pinion 19 and arm 16 having been moved axially, so that the cleaner arm is out of contact with the glass, pinion 19 still engaging sector 20, however, because of the fact that the gear teeth of sector 20 are much wider than the teeth of pinion 19. Upon the return movement of handle 4,

Y roller 22 rides over spring 23, and'at the end of this reverse movement, roller 22 drops off of spring 23, and spring 27 immediately presses pinion 19 and arm 16 to the rear, so that the cleaner arm again contacts the glass, and roller 22 is in position to again" move underneathspring 23 on its next for-- ward stroke.

A coiled spring 29 is-secured at one end to sector 20 and at the other. end to the easing as shown, this spring normally holding the parts in the position shown in Fig. 4 in which the cleaner arm extends horizon- -nomically, the casing being preferably.

tally adjacent to the top of the glass.

Spring 29 is extended during the forward or cleaning movement of the cleaner arm so that its tension is suflicient to cause a rapid return movement of the cleaner arm. The operator may either release handle 4 at the end of the forward movement'in which case the spring 29 alone causes a rapid return of the 01831181 31111 to its initial position, or if the operators hand follows the handle during the return movement, spring 29 assists in causing this movement to be rapid. The shifting of the cleaner arm out of contact with the glass at the end of the forward stroke and the rapid return of the same serves to a considerable extent to shake off the drops of moisture, etc., which the clean- 7 ing surface 17 has picked up during its forward movement. If the cleaner arm were returned to its initial position, in contact with the glass, thismoisture would be to a considerable extent deposited on the glass.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated my device as attached to a closed car, the vertical rod 9, secured in lug 8 on the face of the casing,

being slidably mounted upon horizontal arm 11, which carries at its rear end a bracket 14: which may be screwed to a portion 30 of the car, either a part of the closed top or; an upper part of the wind-shield. In this case the handle 4: extends through a suitable opening in the frame member 30.

My device may be manufactured very ecoformed of stamped metal with cam 26 struck up from the rear side 6 of the same.

It is to be noted that my invention is not strictly limited to the exact details of construction which have been described, but is as broad as is indicated claims.

In my preferred form of device, the operation may be described as cyclic, in that each complete movement of the cleaner-arm,

under control of the handle, comprises a which may be considered a return track for the "same.

The preferred form of my invention con-- sists essentially in providing means, under control of a handle which is located within reach of the driver of the car, such means causing the cleaner-arm to make an operby the appended ative or cleaning stroke across a portion of the glass or other transparent portion of the Wind-shield, and a return movement, or

movement by which the cleaner-arm is brought back to its initial position, out of contact with the wind-shield.

Having now described my invention,what l claim as new therein and deslre tosecure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In a cleaner for Windshields, the combination of a frame adapted to be secured to a wind-shield, an arm havin an end portion extending toward the win -shield and rotatably mounted in said frame, and a cleaner portion extending at an angle from said first portion, adapted to sweep over the glass of the Windshield, a pinion on said first portion, a sector rotatably mounted on said frame andmeshing with said pinion, and a handle member movable with said sector and extending past an edge of the Wind-shield into reach of the operator,

substantially as set forth.

2. Ina cleaner for wind-shields, the combination of a frame adapted to be secured to a wind-shield, an arm having an end portion extending toward the wind-shield and mounted for rotation and axial movement in said frame, and a cleaner portion extending at an angle from said first portion, adapted to sweep over the glass, a pinion on said first portion, a sector rotatably mounted on said frame and meshing with said pinion,

a handle member movable with said sector and extending into reach of the operator, and means for causing said arm to engage the wind-shield during its operative movement and to return to initial position out of contact with the wind-shield, substantially as set forth. I

3. In a cleaner for wind-shields, the combination of a casing, a bracket extending therefrom, a supporting arm secured in said bracket and carrying a clamp adapted to be secured on an edge of the wind-shield, with the casing in front of the, shield, a cleaner arm extending from the casing into position to engage and move across the outer side of the wind-shield, a handle member extending from the casing around the edge of the shield into reach of the operator, and means within the casing for operatively connectin'g the cleaner arm to the handle member, substantially as set forth.

4. In a cleaner for wind-shields, the combination of a casing, a cleaner arm slidably journaled therein, adapted to swing forward and back, a projection on said arm, a track in said casing traveled by said projection during forward movement of the arm, a fixed inclined surface at the end of said track, and a flat spring overlying said track and inclined surface, comprising a return track, adapted to be raised by said projection as the latter-ascends said surface, and

to snap back as said prqjection passes the end of the. same, in position to receive said handle member movable with the sector,

means for eansing the cleaner on the cleaner arm to engage the wind-shield during its operative movement, and means engaged by ,said pin for'holding the cleaner out of contact with the shield during its return movement, substantially as set rth. v

This specification signed and witnessed I this 16th day of November, 1915.

. I SAUL LUX. Witnesses: 1 DYER SMITH,-

I. MeIN'msH. 

